This applications claims the priority of German Application No. 100 08 215.7, filed Feb. 23, 2000.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a printing unit of a rotary printing machine having at least one forme cylinder and at least one impression cylinder which can be moved relative to each other, as well as service apparatus which can be moved relative to the cylinders.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,650 discloses a printing unit for a rotary printing machine, in which the distance between the transfer cylinder and forme cylinder is adjustable. It is thereby possible to use cylinders with different diameters and to print with a variable circumference, that is to say a variable format. The adjustability of the printing-unit cylinders is made possible by slides which are guided linearly on carriers and on which the cylinders are mounted.
Multi-ring bearings, which make it possible by means of eccentrics to execute movements for throwing on or throwing off impression cylinders, are generally known in printing-machine construction. However, only very short adjustment travels are possible with these.
Proceeding from this the object of the invention is to provide a device which makes it possible to move and position both printing-unit cylinders and service apparatus assigned to these cylinders accurately in two different directions independent of one another.
According to the invention, at least one of the cylinders and the service apparatus are movable by means of a cross-slide unit which permits movement relative to the side wall in two transverse directions.
By the mounting the cylinders on a cross-slide units according to the invention, it is possible to position printing-unit cylinders both in their radial direction and in the axial direction. As a result, the axial distance between the forme and transfer cylinders can be adjusted for format matching and lateral registration can be carried out.
By means of the invention, it is possible in a simple way for the most diverse service apparatus such as, for example, imaging, fixing or erasing apparatus or coating apparatus for lithographic material, to be thrown radially onto or off forme cylinders and to be moved axially. Inking or dampening units or washing devices can, by means of positioning apparatus according to the invention, be aligned in terms of their vertical position with various cylinders and thrown on or off and can also be moved completely out of the region of a printing-unit cylinder.
By means of the positioning apparatus according to the invention, camera systems can also be adjusted to forme cylinders of different diameters and be moved in the axial direction or transversely to the axial direction for the purposes of checking the imaging or the print-carrier web.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of the disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages, and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the drawing and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.